Luke who's talking - Part Two

English Barclays Premiership

Luke Young is back in the Q&amp;A hotseat for the second instalment of your questionsÃƒÆ’Ã†â€™Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…Â¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â¬ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â¦

From Stuart Cooper: Have you tried to model your game on anyone else?

Luke Young: “To be honest when I first started I saw myself as a player similar to Chris Perry in that I haven’t got a lot of height and I saw him playing at Wimbledon and I thought I was similar to him. We’re not blessed in the height department so we have to read the game as well as we can. I also like Canavaro, the Italian defender, who is similar in height.”

From Magnus Tinnsten:Can you see yourself playing for Spurs for the rest of your career and what parts of your game need most improvement?

LY: “I’d like to think so. I’ve always supported Tottenham and I’m happy here at the moment but it all depends if I break through and started playing regularly. If I don’t get the opportunities then obviously you have to look elsewhere.

“If I’m to play centre-half then I need to improve in the air. I don’t see myself as a centre-half though, I see myself as a full-back. It’s difficult. Once I get a settled position then I’ll know what I’ll need to improve.”

From Deano, Croydon: Do you think foreign forwards are more difficult to mark than English forwards?

LY: “Some of them are similar to English forwards like Hasselbaink, he’s like an old-fashioned English centre-forward but then you’ve got the likes of Di Canio, Zola, Carbone are harder to mark because they are cleverer. They find space. It’s the same with Sergei Rebrov — they don’t stand up with you and you have to think where they’ve gone.”

From Douglas Bacon: What are you targets for the current season?

LY: “First of all to get fit and playing again in the reserves to get my fitness back. I’ve had a couple of seasons in and out of the first team and I want to try and make a position my own.”

From James Yeung: After scoring for England Under-21s is it time you scored for Spurs? And who is you most admired ex-Spurs player?

LY: “It would be nice! The closest I’ve come was on my debut when I hit the bar against West Ham but since then I haven’t had too many opportunities. I’d like to score.

“My most admired player would have to be Paul Gascoigne because he was such a great player. In my position I admired Gary Mabbutt for how he reacted with all his troubles and having diabetes You should have seen him in training at times, all strapped up but he just battled through it and carried on playing.”

From Keith Eldridge: As you are such a versatile player and therefore called upon to play in many positions is it possible that you will not make one position your own and therefore not get the recognition you deserve.

LY: “That’s gone through my mind already, the amount of positions I’ve played even in the reserves from midfield, full-back and right across the back four. It’s a bit of a worry that someone might ask me what my best position is and I might not be able to give them an answer. It’s definitely something I’ve thought about and I’d like to get into a recognised position as soon as possible. The only thing is obviously if there is a chance to play in the first team then I will play anywhere. It would be nice to get a position but then again I get the opportunity to play in a few more games. It’s a catch 22 situation really.”

From Jeanette Allen: How has Sol Campbell helped your development as a centre-half.

LY: “When I’ve played alongside him he’s been really helpful. He’s such a size and such a presence that he helps you along. He is always talking to you and helping you and was a great help when I first broke into the side.”

From Christine Reynolds: Did you always want to be a footballer and do you have any advice for younger players?

LY: “I’ve always played football but like I said before I didn’t really think about it professionally until I signed YTS forms at Tottenham.

“The only advice I’d give to a younger player is keep your head down, train hard and you never know what might happen.”